France Au Natural: Part Deux. The Loire Valley through a lens

by Christina on November 29, 2010

After a few technical difficulties with our Renault Clio (did you know they make cars that are both automatic AND manual in one!? It helps to know which one you’re in), and several hours of winding roads encased in a tunnel of autumnal tinted trees, we arrived in the beautiful hilltop village of Sancerre. We were not there however to taste Sancerre’s famously zippy if sometimes overpriced sauvignon blancs. This was a trip to visit natural wineries after all, so we had a different agenda. That night we were treated to some barrel samples and a wonderfully rustic dinner made by natural winemaker Sébastien Riffault himself. We arose early the next morning to head back to Sébastien’s place for a tour of his vineyards…in a horse drawn carriage. Besides actually being ON the horse (that was soon to come), it was truly the best way to see vineyards…although not the warmest.

Bidding farewell to Sébastien and his trusty horse Ophelie. Ophelie wanted to come with us but sadly she wouldn’t fit in our little Clio.

Next we drove west to the tiny town of Les Montils to meet Thierry Puzelat, natural winemaker extraordinaire. We tasted through his dazzling array of wines, from both his own vineyards, and his cooperative.

Thierry Puzelat (photo taken by Whitney Adams)

After tasting a seemingly endless amount of mostly great wines, we had to leave Thierry and head further west to another tiny town, Martigné-Briand. We had a dinner invitation at the home of Olivier Cousin, one of the godfathers of the natural wine movement in the Loire. I was slightly apprehensive about this meeting because I’d seen pictures of the large, pony-tailed, bear-like man and so wasn’t expecting a warm welcome. I couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as we turned into the the little driveway of the Cousin home and stables, the steeple of the neighbouring church lit up and towering over us, I knew this wasn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill winery visit. (For more on what turned out to be a surreal evening of bareback horse riding through the streets to the cellar accompanied by an accordion and a crazy dog, have a read of Whitney’s guest blog)

A vinous juxtaposition: Olivier Cousin’s natural wine sandwiched between a box of Cali Merlot, and a can of ‘Aussie wine’ (where he got them, I have no idea)

Olivier ‘enjoying’ a taste of the boxed merlot while Soren, Whitney, and Clare (left), his American apprentice, look on

Olivier’s wife Claire watches as her children play an accordion duet (why does the accordion sound SO French?!)

Clare summons the wine gods in a wonderfully echo-y tank

The craziest, highest jumping cellar dog I’ve ever met. He retrieved this ball off of the head an over 6 foot tall Soren!

Seconds before I sabered a bottle with an ax. Like the picture itself, it was all a bit hazy by that point in the evening (er-morning)…

The next day I was feeling, shall we say, a little under the weather. I am embarrassed to say I didn’t make it to our morning appointment at Pierre Breton’s although got to have his wine at dinner that night (shame on me). However, we were back on the saddle (literally) that afternoon with lunch at Olivier’s, and more magical bareback horse riding through his vineyards.

Lunch at Olivier’s. Actually we just drank..again.

We were joined by Olivier’s friend, and highly respected natural winemaker in his own right, Jean Pierre Robinot. His colourful labels are all from his own paintings. Like Olivier, his wines strongly reflected the man who made them.

The beautiful Château du Beugnon turned bed and breakfast. We stayed in a stunningly converted stable house in the back. I highly recommend it.

That night we enjoyed a decadent multi course meal cooked by the hosts of our chateau, Nicole Ranc and Jean Yves Bauchart, the latter a former Parisian chef.

'This is not a Rose'!

The next morning, after a carb-filled breakfast of warm croissants, baguettes, and brioche with a selection of Nicole’s homemade jams and a yogurt pot, we rather sadly drove out of the winding hills of the Loire Valley, away from the famous snaking river, and turned south to begin our epic 9 hour journey to the Roussillon (soon to come in Part Trois).